Golf Needs More Network Coverage Early In Season

By Andy Schmidt

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The sport of golf has taken a turn downward in popularity with the recent struggles of Tiger Woods and his domination on the game. The beginning of the 2013 PGA season in Hawaii though may have given new life to the sport with rookie Russell Henley winning in his first professional start. I bring this up because fans have turned away from golf without Woods but should be watching more than just the major tournaments.

There are players like Henley, who may have had his career peak in one week, who could become the future of the sport. With many of the big name players nearing the age of 50 and heading to the Senior Tour, there needs to be an influx of new blood to keep the fans interested. The biggest issue that could stop any increase in golf popularity would be the lack of television coverage early in the season. The events in Hawaii have been on just the Golf Channel and while the name lends to why it is on there, the big three networks need to put more golf on.

Is there any sports going on over the weekend on ABC? There is no more Wide World of Sports or even bowling on Saturday afternoons so why can’t ABC get some of the early tournaments to put on? It seems counterproductive to the game to have all four rounds of a tournament on cable television and on a network that many people probably can’t find anyway. If networks can promote these young players even more and get them on the TV, maybe the sport won’t just turn into a four time a year must-watch.

Andy Schmidt is a columnist/writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ASchmidtSports or like his Facebook page.